6 years and 5 months!

wow, I have seriously been "MIA" on the blog..my apologies, seems like we are on fast forward these days without a minute to breathe! Swim meets, trips to see Miley Cyrus, baseball, choir, Dr visits...the list is too long! This is a big week in the Font household, one that we thought would look very different a few weeks ago! We thought we would still be in recovery from surgery, but we are happy to have the gift of more time to enjoy Parker and time together without that worry!!! Madeline our "baby" turned 6 yesterday with the party to come Sunday afternoon with her friends. She had a great day and celebration at school and is looking forward to her party! She is no longer the baby, but a little girl with a BIG personality who loves life and has a passion for singing, dancing, swimming, acting, reading and basically anything she does!

Today, Parker is 5 months old! Where did the time go? He has come so far and so have we. The smiles and laughs are given freely and often and he has become quite the "chatterbox." He continues to be quite the "mover and shaker". He rolls everywhere and his new trick this week is to start to "reach" and pull his legs under to crawl when on his stomach. If you turn your back for a moment he's turned completely around and can be found in a different spot on his play mat. This week we used the tray for the Bumbo for the first time and put cheerios on it. What fun that was! He has no teeth, but he is really good at "mashing" and enjoyed the cheerios. My guess is he won't be long for the baby food. He started rice cereal and bananas as well and while he doesn't love them it is good practice for the oral motor skill. He is sitting well with support on the floor and enjoys playing "touchdown!" with his arms. Guess practice makes perfect! I don't think any of my other kids could do that at 5months, LOL! He has started to grow some hair and eyebrows and it is so cute in the morning when the little fuzz sticks up! :) Mike laughs at me when I get the brush out to "stimulate" growth. Can't hurt, right?

He is 14 lbs 5 ozs and 25 inches long. He will go next week to have his Synagis RSV shot and then we are "Dr. free" until end of November. YEAH!

Be blessed! Lara

A Miracle in the Making?

I am having a hard time catching up this week after being gone, so the post will be short today! Yesterday I heard back from Parker's cardiologist and we got the details on the "when" for his surgery. She had been consulting with the surgeon and they are in agreement that next SUMMER is the best time! Wow, talk about speechless! We discussed all of the things we originally were told could cause problems if we delayed surgery, but since all children with AV canal defects have variations there is not one "best" answer. In Parker's case his VSD hole is quite small so the concern of longterm damage to his pulmonary function is not there. In fact, Parker is completely asymptomatic. The surgeon believes that waiting will give Parker the best chance at his valve repair being done successfully so no additional surgeries are needed later in life (the mitral valve leaks in many of these repairs). Parker had an original echo done in the early weeks of his life, but the sedated echo was much more definitive. I talked to our pediatrician as well and he was in agreement that delaying the surgery is not unreasonable. One of the largest concerns with going forward now is the risk of infection and exposure Parker could have in the hospital as well. In fact, Texas Children's Hospital has implemented a "screening station" outside the hospital staffed by nurses and security and it requires you to be screened before entering. In addition they no longer allow children under 12 to visit siblings. All of these things coupled with the fact that they consider him to be an "elective" surgery candidate at this point gives us time to postpone the surgery. Mike and I have to defer to the experts here, who are we to doubt? The logistics of a summer surgery would be a bit easier with the kids out of school and no homework to keep up with as well. We will follow up with his cardiologist in early December, so we are relatively "free" of Dr's visits for awhile (at least heart Drs). Please continue to pray a hedge of protection around our house from illness and Parker's continued good health.

The surgeon was quick to say he would still need surgery, but we wonder is this a miracle in the making? Only God knows, but we consider this a small miracle if nothing else or as my precious friend Kris would say, "a kiss from God!"

Be blessed!

Surgery Postponed..stay tuned...insurance miracle!

We are back from our week long trip to Disney World and had a busy day at Texas Childrens Hospital! Today Parker had his sedated echo and then we met his surgeon, Dr. Charles Fraser for our consult. The echo went smoothly, it was much better than we could have ever imagined. The nurses were great and Parker didn't have any issues. He woke up after 30 minutes and despite being groggy for a few hours after he had no adverse reactions. Mike and I were surprised when Dr. Fraser reviewed his echo and recommended delaying surgery. He explained to us that Parker's condition is not considered an immediate need for repair and since his AV canal defect is quite small his pulmonary function is not being compromised at this time. In fact, Parker is completely symptom free and the Dr. said based on what he saw on the echo he was not surprised. By delaying the surgery a few months Parker's heart tissues will continue to grow and make then easier to work with for the surgeon and decrease the possibility for leakage in the mitral valve (which can cause additional future surgeries). He consulted with our Cardiologist and she agreed with his recommendation. Now we do have to consider flu season and the risks Parker faces from any viral infection, but at this point the Drs. believe it is worth the extra time. Mike and I left feeling confident that it is the right decision. We did not get a definitive date and are waiting for follow up with our Cardiologist for next steps.

So, we know that this timing is in God's hands and we continue to trust in Him. We do have significant praise..our insurance changed Oct 1st and now all of Parker's TCH physicians are covered in-network. In addition all deductibles and expenses paid this year apply to our out of pocket max on our new plan, so we are close to meeting that already. God is good all the time!

More later, but for now off to bed with the little one..Disney was terrific, so many magical memories!

Be blessed! Lara